NKSpilot

It's no longer "better than a regional". Legacies are hiring just as easy and have significantly faster upgrade times.

Why is any new hire coming here currently?

If any recent new hires could chime in or people with upcoming class dates?

Things have changed so drastically there must be some piece of this puzzle that I am missing.

JohnDeSpacito

I was going to say free type rating, but I do remember having to dip into my savings while I was on the miserable training pay. Not really free. Not to mention no health insurance for a couple months.

Justabusdriver1

I gave up $30/hr in pay to come here. Simply put better qol. I live in and near a second one. The second would be a faster path to a legacy. Regional FOs sure are getting paid but aren’t getting hours and it’s looking like 4+ years to get the hours to be competitive at legacies. Not to mention legacies will look more favorably at you since they see it as taking a pilot from a competitor.

There’s also the prospect that regional pay is only going to outpace spirit for a couple months as they are negotiating new rates as well. I don’t see their pay being less than regional pay once all is said and done. Needless to say even at the current rate by the end of year 2 at spirit you’ve basically broken even since youre $30/hr less than first year and about $30/hr more year two. By year 3 you’re making captain level pay at the regional. (I know I’m stretching some numbers but I’m not splitting hairs over a few dollars.)

ULLI

Not a new hire and don't work for NK, but work for someone very similar. I think the big attraction is FL/NV bases since legacies don't have bases there (besides aa and swa). Rumor is UA is looking into FL base, that will definitely be a game changer for NK/B6 and F9. Depending on equipment it will probably go sr on CA side and much more obtainable on FO side.
Personally I think all of the attrition is in our favor, we have 30+ 321NEOs scheduled for 2023. Management knows pay needs to be addressed yesterday.

PossibleDeviation

This is purely an opinion. Spirit has lost about 90 pilots to each AA, UA and DL this year. That's only ~270 pilots. That's less than one months' hiring totals at the big 3. Compare that to regional pilots that have gotten on. There is a MUCH larger percentage that have gotten picked up from the regionals. I'd guess that 60-70% of the Spirit pilot group has their apps out. If the legacies really cared about hurting us they would literally just empty the seniority list... But they don't. Many people here aren't getting calls.

No. Year 3 CA pay now at regionals is in the realm of 140-150/hr. Year 3 FO pay here is 122.60. That is NO WHERE close to the same rate. Didn't realize 20-30/hr is splitting hairs.... With the looming merger, if hired now, you won't be upgrading before then. So the quickest anyone is upgrading is atleast 5 years at this point.

There is literally no reason to come to Spirit anymore.

Justabusdriver1

I’ve been told by no less than 4 people who have been here for about a year to two years saying a lot have been contacted and offered a job. I’m willing to bet a lot more people have gotten offers while not everyone accepted them. A long time friend got called a week after he received his type. He turned them down as he plans to stay at spirit. More people are willing to stay at spirit than people at the regional. Legacies right now are taking pretty much anyone who is eligible and competitive. But when hiring slows which I believe it has compared to the immediate post Covid wave, they’ll take someone with time in an a320 at a competitor over a regional fo (there’s many other factors obvious. It’s the same reason if you want to go to delta don’t go to endeavor go to envoy. If you want to go to American don’t go to a WO. The legacies take more pilots from competitors than they do their own regional carrier.

As for the pay you can add in the fact that it’s easy to credit more than mmg and pick up double pay. My previous carrier it was common for a first year to to finish with 150hrs on the year. That’s 0 career progression in my mind. Soft pay is just as important. While you cant count on it to pay your bills the reality is first year it’s pretty easy to finish at the same yearly pay or close to it and year two you’re already making up that difference. If we see a pay increase in the next 3-6 months that just be icing on the cake.

Alpiner

Spirit still has a better QOL and high MDG than most regionals. Pay rates will eventually get higher even if it’s after the merger happens.

JulesWinfield

What quality of life? Junior FOs here can’t do anything during IOT and the reserve grid goes red quickly in the junior bases, so forget about DOT. Those 10 hour 3 days with redeyes certainly don’t add to my quality of life.

PossibleDeviation

*MOST* being the key word there but ERJ line holders at Skywest and republic are getting 15-16 days off and 85-90 hours credit @ $90+ an hour. Sorry but the QOL argument has gone by the wayside as well. They also aren’t doing 10hr 3 day and 15 4 day trips like we are doing here at Spirit.

Justabusdriver1

If you live in a skywest base or rpa base yeah less reason to come to spirit. If you live in a spirit base not commuting is the biggest qol factor. Line holder at the regional has frozen at basically early 2022 or late 2021 hire. Regionals losing lines at every base because they can’t staff the planes with captains. Right now at rpa is at least a year on reserve and it’s a year on reserve with little to no flying is the bigger issue. So commuting to just sit in a hotel or crash pad for a week is much worse than a new hire would have at spirit imo. Some people want to get paid to sit around not working. I’d much rather be home if I’m on reserve not being utilized. But I’d much rather go somewhere I’m being utilized and progressing in my career.